When loading or unloading a truck parked at a loading dock, it is generally a safe practice to help restrain the truck from accidentally moving too far away from the dock. Some known restraints include a hook-style vehicle restraint that engages what is often referred to in the industry as a truck's ICC bar (Interstate Commerce Commission bar) or RIG (Rear Impact Guard). An ICC bar or RIG comprises a bar or beam that extends horizontally across the rear of a truck, below the truck bed. Its primary purpose is to help prevent an automobile from under-riding the truck in a rear-end collision.
A RIG, however, also provides a convenient structure for a hook-style restraint to reach up in front of the bar to obstruct the bar's movement away from the dock. To release the truck and prepare for the next truck to enter the dock, many restraints descend below the bar to a preparatory position. Although the horizontal bar of a RIG is fairly standardized, the bar's supporting structure can vary significantly. In some cases, the supporting structure can interfere with the operation of the restraint.